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I am new to 3D printing and have an Ender 5 Pro.

I have manually leveled the bed by setting the nozzle gap to 0.1 mm (via feeler gauges) and then printing a calibration print and manually adjusting the bed height as it prints. I can get perfect calibration prints using both a glass bed and a PEI bed, printing with a bed temp of 75 °C and a nozzle temp of 210 °C:

enter image description here

I’m now trying various other prints without success, as the print doesn’t adhere. See this example of a 1 mm thick bookmark, which I am printing with a brim to try and help :

enter image description here

I’m not sure what the experts here can ascertain from this failed print without all the slicing parameters. I’m a bit suspicious that the print appears to clump and I’m wondering if the soft extruded material is sticking to the PLA already laid down and if so, if I can address that?

I actually seemed to have more success with the original flexible bed with several successful prints.

The G-code for the calibration target: https://pastebin.com/Brc8R8Cs

and for the bookmark: https://pastebin.com/9AXaqiMw

I had to remove a lot of the G-code for the bookmark due to its size, so hopefully I've left the important stuff in.

I started printing by loading the models in CURA, slicing and exporting to an SD card. I didn't;t create a new project for each print and it took me a while to realise I was losing the slicing parameters I'd used each time, making it difficult or impossible to go back and just change one set of parms. I'm now creating a separate project, so hopefully from now on I can just tweak one or 2 parms.

Steve Ives
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    Share links in comment to both the G-codes to see if we can see something interesting, if so, we'll paste it in the question, else we mention that there is nothing to see and delete the comments. You could use e.g. PasteBin website. – 0scar Oct 19 '21 at 11:26
  • Are you slicing with the exact same parameters? – user-596a6526 Oct 19 '21 at 11:39
  • @0scar - Links to GCODE added – Steve Ives Oct 19 '21 at 16:15
  • @user-596a6526 - I don't know - to start with I was just dropping STL files into CURA projects but not saving the project, so when I had a successful print I couldn't be sure what parms I used. Will try to avoid that in future. – Steve Ives Oct 19 '21 at 16:16
  • @SteveIves As far as I know, Cura keeps the settings from the last slice, so it should be doing the same thing for your calibration as your other part. I thought it was worth checking! – user-596a6526 Oct 19 '21 at 16:19
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    Are you using any adhesives, i.e. glue stick, blue tape, hair spray? I personally have found my calibration prints to stick without problem but actual model prints will necessitate using an adhesive. – agarza Oct 19 '21 at 16:31
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    In the images the initial z-height looks to high. The extrusions don't look pressed down and aren't sticking together. – Perry Webb Oct 19 '21 at 17:42
  • @agarza No - I was hoping that wasn't necessary coming from an unheated XYZ printer will almost 0 success. I did switch the PEI bed for a glass one last night (nd re-levelled) with the intention to try glue stick if I got desperate, as I thought glue sticks and PEI wasn't a good combination. – Steve Ives Oct 19 '21 at 18:35
  • @PerryWebb Is that a slicer parameter or a setting the printer? I can't seem to find it in CURA and I don't change anything from the calibration print to the bookmark. – Steve Ives Oct 19 '21 at 19:36
  • It's a manual process as part of the leveling on my printer.. You might be able to do it with software on your printer. That doesn't work on mine. – Perry Webb Oct 19 '21 at 20:40
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    I've looked into the files to conclude both print at the same heights. What I cannot see is the print speed of your product (that part is cut out), it might be too high for the filament to adhere properly. Thanks for sharing the codes! – 0scar Oct 20 '21 at 16:16
  • @0scar I’m pretty sure I was printing at 40 or 50 as a friend thought the print speed may be too high and that it was ‘dragging ‘ the print off the bed. – Steve Ives Oct 20 '21 at 16:40

3 Answers3

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Well I got a perfect print as follows:

  1. Loaded the .stl file.
  2. Set Cura to use the 'Good' profile downloaded from CHEPCLUB (recommended by a friend).
  3. Used Pritt-stick Scotch (glue stick) on the bed.

I was quite loath to use glue stick, as I thought heated beds etc didn't need it, but if that's what it takes then...

I even bought an enclosure a few days ago as the room the printer was in if fairly cool.

I'll try the exact same print without the glue and see if that works but at least I know know that I can get a perfect print and that a good calibration print isn't the be-all and end-all.

0scar
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Steve Ives
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    Pritt (Henkel) sticks are not made (since 2000) of the ingredients (PVP) that are known to help in adhesion: "Known materials to be used for glue sticks are PVA or PVP. However, the Henkel company is as of 2000 not using PVP in Pritt anymore but makes use of natural starch." – 0scar Oct 20 '21 at 16:21
  • @0scar Turns out I’m actually using a Scotch glue stick – Steve Ives Oct 20 '21 at 19:37
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    If I absolutely need adhesion... I use Ponal Express, which is a white wood glue containing PVA. – Trish Oct 21 '21 at 13:12
  • So is the 'glue not needed with a heated bed' thing a myth, or is it down to luck/filament/bed/phase of the Moon etc? – Steve Ives Oct 22 '21 at 15:20
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First, heat the bed to printing temperature, let it "soak" for a few minutes, and then re-do your bed levelling.

Thermal expansion can mess with the level.

Criggie
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    I'm pretty sure the bed was hot as a perfect calibration print was obtained after several attempts, so the heating had been on for 15-20 minutes. The one in the photo was one from 'cold' i.e. switch the printer on and immediately do the print, so I don't think that's an issue in this case. – Steve Ives Oct 19 '21 at 18:33
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    Upvoted for the suggestion although it wasn't the cause in this case. – Steve Ives Oct 23 '21 at 10:16
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For a good adhesion the print bed should be free of any oil or fat. Wipe the print bed with pure alcohol just befor the start of printing.

Uwe
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  • And what about dust? – 0scar Oct 30 '21 at 12:27
  • Thanks Uwe - I'm getting reliable adhesion at the moment with a layer of glue on the bed but part of me thinks this shouldn't be necessary. I'm wary of changing what works, but I can always re-apply glue, so this weekend I'll thoroughly clean and degrease the glass bed and see how that goes. – Steve Ives Nov 05 '21 at 09:48